First Day of School and a New Heart

Starting a new school year can be daunting in itself, but starting when your dad is about to get a new heart can be really hard.

This year Blake is in 5th grade and Easton is in 3rd. We went to their classroom open house to meet the teachers, find their desks, and test out their lockers. We took pictures and talked to dad afterwards but it just wasn't the same. Blake said he is 'dad sick', like home sick but just missing dad instead. Mike is an amazing dad and is all in on their lives, events, and school. We can just feel the difference this year.

With all that is going on the boys school has been amazing in helping us and Blake and Easton walk through this journey. The principal, Blake's teacher, Easton's teacher and speech teacher, and the school counslor sat down with me before school started to walk through Mike's heart journey and how the boys are handling it. We are so lucky to have a school with a principal and team that cares so deeply for the well being of our boys and their success in this weird school year.

Happy 1st Day of 5th Grade and 3rd Grade!

On to the main reason we are here...Mike's Heart!

Mike's heart isn't doing so great. The left side is being supported by the Impella Pump and now the right side is going down hill. They are keeping a close eye on his heart and have hinted that by the end of the week beginning of next week he may need an Impella Pump to support the right side of his heart as well. We knew it could always get worse and we are reaching that stage. With both sides of his heart being supported by Impella Pumps that would move Mike up the list to a level 1. It would be amazing if we got a heart before he needed to go into surgery for the right side Impella Pump. The least amount of surgeries and time recovering would be better.

All in all Mike is in good spirits and doing well otherwise. He goes for walks daily and walks on a tredmill for 1 mile each day. His doctors and nurses are pretty impressed with his mobility, strength, and drive to stay well while he waits. He has lost a lot of weight and muscle but is in good shape for a heart transplant and recovery.

The boys have been begging me for weeks now to go to Frosty Boy. We pass it on our way to and from the hospital. We stopped last night and enjoyed some ice cream before school started the next day. Ice cream has a way of pausing the nerves and releasing the anxiety of getting a new heart. A great way to end the summer and relax for just a moment.

Comments

Miracles Do Happen

It's been 3 days since Mike got his new heart, and I can hardly believe that it actually happened. On Thursday September 5th Mike was told we had another match. Dr. Hooker said he was bound and determined to get Mike a new heart by the Michigan game that Saturday. At this point Mike was a level one on the Unos Heart Transplant List and basically top of the top. With both sides of his heart being supported he needed a new one badly. Mike, the boys, and I shared this little secret that Friday and went on about our day. The more we learned the more we became excited that this was actually the heart. This heart was a DBD heart (Donation after Brain Death). Througout the day we learned that it was a great match and Mike's OR time was set for Saturday, September 7th at 10am. We were confused that we were not given a donor OR time, and as time went on we realized there was no transport time for the heart...the heart was in the same hospital as Mike. I got to spend time with Mike th

Lub-Dub Lub-Dub

A normal resting heart rate is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. If you listen to a heart it often is describe as if saying Lub-Dub Lub-Dub. Mike's heart rate is between 120-140. If he laughs hard (which is often), gets agitated, or someones gets him on his favortie topic of finace it starts to soar about 140+. Every once in a while it will peak up to 180 when he gets into V Tach and it skips a few beats. The nurses watch him carefully as he walks on the treadmill and talks away or while he is working, and sometimes they have to shut him down for a bit. Except for some weight and muscle loss Mike's body and mind are in good working condition, but his heart is just failing him. I had previously reported that on August 7th Mike recieved the Impella Pump to support the left side of his heart. Since then the left side has significantly decreased in function and is almost not moving at all on its own. Over the past few weeks they have been watching the right side of heart and s

Free Ice Cream & A New Heart

As we celebrated 7 months off the heart transplant list we quickly found ourselves back on the list. Many of you will be shocked by this news...and I won't lie...we were too Mike came down with the tiniest of colds and a little cough at the end of June 2024. His appetite dwindled and he just wasn't interested in being super active. By the devine grace of God and His perfect timing Mike's doctors office called and randomly wanted a blood panel completed. The results caused them to call and Mike expressed his concerns about his little cold and other small symptoms. They had him come into the office gave him an IV to help get some fluid off his body. He lost 10 pounds in less than 24 hours...and his cough went away. They set up a right heart cath for the next day to see what was going on. The results came in a bit worse than the previous November 2023 cath, but not too alarming and they released him to go home. We took the boys to SpringHill, enjoyed some alone time, picked

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